AmeriCorps VISTA

CONCEPT PAPER INSTRUCTIONS

v. 12.xx.07

OMB Control #: 3045-0038

Expiration Date: 5/31/2011
 IMPORTANT NOTICE
These Concept Paper instructions conform to the Corporation for
National and Community Service’s (the Corporation) online grant
application system, eGrants. The eGrants system is designed to
serve the Corporation’s applicants and grantees. All Corporation
funding announcements are posted on our web site www.cns.gov
and at www.grants.gov.

Public Burden Statement: The Paperwork Reduction Act of

1995 requires the Corporation to inform all potential persons who
are to respond to this collection of information that such persons
are not required to respond unless it displays a currently valid
OMB control number. (See 5 CFR 1320.5(b)(2)(i)).

Time Burden: The time required to complete this collection of

information is estimated to average 1.5 hours per Concept Paper
submission, including the time to review instructions; search
existing data resources; gather the data needed; and complete and
review the information collection before submitting.

Use of Information: The information collected constitutes a

preliminary evaluation of suitability for the use of Corporation
resources. The Corporation evaluates the Concept Paper and
makes a decision whether the organization would be an
appropriate sponsor. An approved Concept Paper serves as the
basis for a VISTA Application. Once a Concept Paper has been
approved, the Corporation provides VISTA Application materials.

Effects of Non-Disclosure: Providing this information is

voluntary; however, failure to provide the information would not
allow the Corporation to assess the request for resources.
Therefore it would not be possible to consider awarding resources
to the prospective sponsor.

Privacy Act: Information provided for this collection may be shared

with federal, state, and local agencies for law enforcement
purposes.

2
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Important Notice ......................................................................................................................2

About AmeriCorps VISTA ...........................................................................................................4

Application Process........................................................................................................................4

Submitting Your Concept Paper in eGrants ...............................................................................5

I. Applicant Info ..............................................................................................................5

II. Application Info ...........................................................................................................6

III. Narratives.....................................................................................................................6

IV. Review ........................................................................................................................7

XI. Authorize and Submit ..................................................................................................8

Additional Information: Paper copy forms................................................................................9

3
About AmeriCorps VISTA
AmeriCorps VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty.
VISTA supports efforts to alleviate poverty by encouraging individuals from all walks of life to
engage in a year of full-time service with a sponsoring organization to create or expand programs
designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty.

Rather than providing cash grants, the VISTA program places individual VISTAs with
sponsoring organizations. Resources are provided to sponsors on an annual basis.

VISTA provides a small living allowance and certain benefits for members. Sponsoring
organizations absorb most of the costs related to project supervision and logistical support.
Investment by the sponsoring organization and the community is fundamental to the VISTA
program, as the VISTA resource is intended to be short-term.

Application Process
Organizations interested in becoming a VISTA sponsor should contact the Corporation State
Office in their state and visit www.americorps.gov/vista. The Corporation's State Offices are
federal offices staffed by federal employees in the state. They conduct public outreach and
program support and are directly responsible for developing and overseeing all VISTA projects
within their state. The Corporation State Office is available to provide technical assistance.
A directory of Corporation State Offices is available at
http://www.americorps.gov/about/contact/stateoffices.asp.

To apply for VISTA resources, organizations complete a two-step process:

Step 1 – AmeriCorps VISTA Concept Paper

Organizations submit an AmeriCorps VISTA Concept Paper to the Corporation. The
Concept Paper is a preliminary screening tool that the Corporation uses to evaluate
whether the organization would be an appropriate sponsor.

Step 2 - AmeriCorps VISTA Project Application

If the Concept Paper is approved, the organization submits an AmeriCorps VISTA
Project Application. The Project Application is based on the approved Concept Paper.
The Corporation provides Project Application materials following approval of a
Concept Paper.

VISTA Concept Papers and Project Applications are submitted using eGrants, the Corporation’s
integrated, secure, web-based system for applications. Organizations must have an eGrants
account to submit the Concept Paper and Project Application in eGrants. To create an account
and access the eGrants system, visit http://www.nationalservice.gov/egrants/index.asp.

Organizations that cannot submit using eGrants may submit in paper copy. If you are submitting
your Concept Paper in paper copy, you will find all the forms that you need in the Additional
Information section of these instructions.

4
Concept Paper Instructions
Please use the following AmeriCorps VISTA Concept Paper instructions if you are a prospective
sponsor interested in applying for AmeriCorps VISTA resources or an existing sponsor seeking
to create a new project that is substantially different in project scope or emphasis area from your
current VISTA project.

Selection Process and Criteria

The following criteria will be used by Corporation staff in the selection of AmeriCorps VISTA sponsors
and in the approval of both new and renewal VISTA projects. Your proposal must include all of the
elements listed below.

Criteria for Sponsorship

The organization must:

Be a public sector organization or a private organization designated as non-profit by the IRS.
Have resources available for VISTAs to perform their tasks; ie, space, consumable supplies, telephone, on-the-
job transportation reimbursement; and be able to provide emergency cash advances when needed.
Have the capacity and commitment to recruit, orient, train, supervise and otherwise support recruited Members
in appropriate capacity-building roles.
Have an understanding of the concept of, and be committed to, the mission of VISTA.
Be experienced in the issues related to the beneficiaries of service and those being addressed by the proposed
project.
Have the capacity to involve the beneficiary community in order to achieve project self-sufficiency.

Project Selection Criteria

The project must:

Address the needs of low-income communities and otherwise comply with the provisions of the Domestic
Volunteer Services Act Of 1973, (DVSA) as amended (42 U.S.C. 4951 et seq.) applicable to VISTA and all
applicable published regulations, guidelines and Corporation policies.
Lead to building organizational and/or community capacity to continue the efforts of the project once VISTA
resources are withdrawn.
Describe in measurable terms the anticipated self-sufficiency results at the conclusion of the project, including
results to the sustainability of the project activities.
Clearly state how VISTAs will be trained, supervised, and supported to ensure the achievement of program goals
and objectives.
Be internally consistent; The problem statement which demonstrates need, the project plan, the assignment, and
all other components must be related logically to each other.
Ensure that VISTA and community resources are sufficient to achieve project goals.
Involve beneficiaries in project development and implementation throughout the life of the project.
Have the management and technical capability to implement the project successfully.
Have an appropriate number of requested members for project goals; the skills and qualifications described in
the application must be appropriate for the assignment(s).

Submitting Your Concept Paper in eGrants

Note: To complete the Concept Paper in eGrants, you must have an eGrants account. The
account is free and can be created online at http://www.nationalservice.gov/egrants/index.asp.
Consult the Corporation State Office for more information.

5
Your Concept Paper consists of the following components. Please make sure to complete each
one.

I. Applicant Info
II. Application Info
III. Narratives
IV. Review
V. Authorize and Submit

In eGrants, before Starting Section I, you will need to:

• Select Start a New Concept Paper
• Select the appropriate NOFA (AmeriCorps VISTA State or AmeriCorps VISTA
Headquarters). Consult the Corporation State Office with questions on the correct
NOFA.
• Write down the Concept Paper ID for later reference

I. Applicant Info
In eGrants, complete the Applicant Info Section. Some information is already in the system
from when the eGrants account was created. Please take the time to reflect your information
accurately in this section.
• Ensure that the information under Legal Applicant Info is correct.
• Ensure that the NOFA shown is the one you selected.
• In the Project Information Section, select create a new project.
• Enter your contact information into the fields that appear.
• Enter or select a Project Director. Choose the Project Director by selecting from the
dropdown menu next to corresponding field. This will open up a list of people who
are current and past eGrants users for your organization. If person who will be the
Project Director is not listed, click enter/new and enter the new information into the
fields that appear. The new name will appear in the Project Director list.
• If the project has a website, enter the website address into the Project Website URL
field.
• Enter the estimated length of your project in years or months.

II. Application Info

Information entered in the Applicant Info and Application Info sections will populate the SF 424
Facesheet. If you are submitting your application in paper copy, you will find all the forms that
you need in the Additional Information section at the end of the Concept Paper instructions.

In the Application Info Section enter:

• Areas affected by your project.
• In the Other fields, if you were a former VISTA sponsor, indicate the number of years
and the number of members assigned to your organization in the past.

6
 • If your organization has received other Corporation resources such as AmeriCorps
State, AmeriCorps National, Senior Corps, Learn and Serve, etc., describe these
resources and the number of members/participants supported by those resources.

III. Narratives
The narrative section of the Concept Paper is your opportunity to demonstrate to reviewers that
your proposed project would be an appropriate use of VISTA resources. The narrative section
includes the following four items: Executive Summary, Need, Strengthening Communities, and
Organizational Capacity. Each item has questions associated with it that you must answer.

Be sure to:
‰ Type, single-spaced.
‰ Type both the question and answer. Use the same headings and numbering provided below.
‰ Include activities for the entire project period for which you are requesting resources.
‰ Enter data for each of the four narrative fields in eGrants. To enter information into the field, click
view/edit narrative next to the corresponding narrative item. Enter text into the fields that appear.
‰ Check with your Corporation State Office for any state specific guidelines regarding the length of the
answers to the questions. The answers to the narrative section are commonly between 750-1000
words or 3-4 pages, single spaced.
‰ You may wish to first answer questions in a word processing document and then later paste them into
the eGrants fields. This provides you with an offline, backup record. Avoid using special formatting
or tables because eGrants does not accommodate them.

Executive Summary
1. Provide a brief description of the proposed project, including the project goal(s) as well
as an overview of the activities the requested VISTAs and Leaders will perform.
2. How many VISTAs and Leaders are you requesting?
3. What is the estimated length of time required to complete the project?
4. Briefly describe your organization’s mission, history, and the beneficiaries of your
organization’s programs.

Need
State in measurable and quantifiable terms the specific poverty-related need(s) identified by the
community(ies) that the VISTA project will address, including the number of low-income
people directly affected by the problem(s). If your program will operate at multiple sites,
demonstrate a need in each community you propose to serve.

Hint:
How did you identify the need and where is it documented? Use current and local statistical data,
citing the source, to substantiate the problem.

Example:
An applicant proposing to develop a child care program for families transitioning from welfare to work
would explain the scope of the child care shortage in their county including statistical references to the
number of families transitioning from welfare to work, the average cost of child care in the county, and
other data to illustrate the need to be addressed. The applicant also would describe the cause of the

7
 child care shortage, how long it has persisted, and the long-term effects it may have on the low-income
families in the county.

Strengthening Communities
1. Describe current activities your organization and other organizations are undertaking to
address the problems identified in your need statement. Describe how the proposed
project will complement this work.
2. Describe how the new infrastructure or organizational capacity created by your project
will address the needs of the community and bring individuals and, ultimately, the
community out of poverty.
Example:
An applicant proposing to develop a child care program for families transitioning from welfare to work
might explain how the child care program will allow current and former welfare recipients to pursue
education, job training and employment opportunities, resulting in financial asset development gains
that move affected families out of poverty.

3. How will you involve the community to ensure the sustainability of the proposed project?
Hint:
One of the primary purposes of VISTA is to ensure sustainable solutions to problems facing low-
income communities. Address how you will ensure that the proposed project, and its results,
continues upon completion of the project and withdrawal of VISTA support.

Organizational Capacity
1. Address your organization’s capacity to manage the proposed project including previous
experience working with community volunteers and/or national service participants. Was
your organization previously assigned VISTAs? If so, specify the sponsoring
organization (if different from your own), years and number of members. Briefly
describe how the proposed service activity differs from what your members did
previously. Also, if your agency is currently receiving other CNCS resources, specify
which program and the number of members.
2. What resources are available to support the project? Identify the names of partner
organizations. Is your organization able to contribute financially for all or some of costs
related to VISTA(s) and Leader(s)? Please indicate if you are able to support a cost-share
member (approximately $10,000-12,000/year).

IV. Review
The Review section lists the information entered for the three previous sections: Applicant Info,
Application Info and Narratives. You can go back to any of these sections to review or change
what you have entered, prior to submission.

You can also view and print the information as a report. The report opens as an Adobe PDF
Read-only file. You may print the Concept Paper in PDF format or save a copy of it onto your
computer.

Because the PDF report is a read-only file, you cannot type in the report. To make changes, you
must edit in the eGrants system and run the report again for the updated version.

8
V. Authorize and Submit
eGrants requires that you verify your entire Concept Paper before submitting, by completing the
following sections in eGrants:
• Authorization
• Certification
• Submit

Read the Authorization and Certifications carefully.

The person who authorizes the Concept Paper must be the organization’s authorized
representative. This is the person who has the authority to commit resources at your
organization. In order to complete this section, the appropriate person should logon to eGrants
and go to the Authorize and Submit section of the Concept Paper. The Authorized
Representative must have his/her own eGrants account.

Be sure to check your entire Concept Paper to make sure that there are no errors before
submitting it. eGrants will also generate a list of errors if there are sections that need to be
corrected prior to submission.

9
Additional Information: Paper copy forms
If you are submitting your application in paper copy instead of eGrants, you will find the
required SF424 forms (Facesheet) in the following section. Attach these forms with your
answers to the questions in each of the Narrative fields, listed on pages 6-7.

Be sure to:
‰ Type, single-spaced.
‰ Use the same headings and lettering provided below when completing your concept paper.
‰ Type both the question and answer.
‰ Submit to the appropriate Corporation for National and Community Service State Office

CONCEPT PAPER: FACESHEET INSTRUCTIONS

Item #

1. Filled in for your convenience

2. Self-Explanatory

4. 2.b. and 4.a. are for State use only (if applicable).

5. Enter the following information:

a. The complete name of the organization that will be legally responsible for the project.
Not the name of the organizational unit within the legally responsible organization. (For
example, indicate “National University” instead of “Liberal Arts Department.”)
c. Your organization’s complete address to include country and the 5 digit ZIP code
d. The name and contact information of the project director or other person to contact on
matters related to this application.

6. Enter your Employer Identification Number (EIN) as assigned by the Internal Revenue Service

7. Item 7a: Enter the appropriate letter in the box

Item 7b: Consult the following list of characteristics of applicants and enter (all that apply) the
corresponding numbers, each in a separate blank.

10. Grant-making Entity Operating in

1. 2-year college Two or More States
2. 4-year college 11. Health Department
3. Area Agency on Aging 12. Hispanic Serving College or
4. Chamber of Commerce/Business University
Association 13. Historically Black College or
5. Community Action University
Agency/Community Action 14. Law Enforcement Agency
Program 15. Local Affiliate of National
6. Community College Organization
7. Community –Based Organization 16. Local Education Agency
8. Faith-based organization 17. Local Government municipal
9. Governor’s Office 18. National Non-Profit (Multistate)

10
 19. Other Native American 25. State Education Agency
Organization 26. Statewide Association
20. Other State Government 27. Tribal Government Entity
21. School (K-12) 28. Tribal Organization (non-
22. Self-Incorporated Senior Corps government
Project 29. U.S. Territory
23. Service/Civic Organization 30. Vocational/Technical College
24. State Commission/Alternative 31. Volunteer Management
Administration Entity Organization

8. Check “New”

9. Filled in for your convenience

10. Filled in for your convenience

11. Enter the proposed title of the project.

12. List all political entities affected (e.g., counties and cities)

If you are a former AmeriCorps*VISTA grantee or sponsor, check the box indicating this. Enter the years you
were a grantee or sponsor and the number of members/participants you enrolled at that time.

If you have received other CNCS resources please describe what these were and the number of
members/participants supported by those resources.

Enter in the anticipated length of your proposed project.

17. The person who signs this form must be the applicant’s legal representative. A copy of the
governing body’s authorization for this official representative to sign must be on file in the
applicant’s office.

Note: Falsification or concealment of a material fact, or submission of false, fictitious or fraudulent statements of
representations to any department or agency of the United States Government may result in a fine or imprisonment
for not more than five (5) years, or both. (18 U.S. Code Section 1001)

11
CONCEPT PAPER
FACESHEET
1. TYPE OF SUBMISSION:
Application 2. DATE SUBMITTED TO CORPORATION FOR
NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE (CNCS): 4.a. DATE RECEIVED BY CNCS
Construction
Non-Construction 2B. APPLICATION ID:
5. APPLICANT INFORMATION

5 a. Legal Name:

5.c Address: (give street address, city, count, state and zip code) 5 D. NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR PROJECT
DIRECTOR OR OTHER PERSON TO BE CONTACTED ON
MATTERS INVOLVING THIS APPLICATION (give area code)
NAME:

TELEPHONE NUMBER: ( ) -

FAX NUMBER: ( ) -

INTERNET E-MAIL ADDRESS:

WEBSITE:
6. EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (EIN): 7. a TYPE OF APPLICANT: (Enter appropriate letter in box:)
. I. State Controlled
- A. State Institution of Higher
8. TYPE OF APPLICATION (Check appropriate box): B. County Learning
C. Municipal J. Private University
NEW D. Township K. Indian Tribe
E. Interstate L. Individual
F. Intermunicipal M. Profit Organization
G. Special District N. Other (Specify)
H. Independent School O. Not for Profit
District Organization
Other (specify)

7 b. CNCS APPLICANT CHARACTERISTICS

Enter appropriate code in each blank:_____, _____,
______,______,_____

9: NAME OF FEDERAL AGENCY: 10 CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE NUMBER:

Corporation for National and Community Service 94 – 013

TITLE (Name of Program): AmeriCorps*VISTA

11. a, TITLE OF APPLICANT’S PROJECT: 12. AREAS AFFECTED BY PROJECT (Cities, Counties, States, etc):

FORMER GRANTEE/SPONSOR YEARS: #MEMBERS/PARTICIPANTS:

OTHER CNCS RESOURCES DESCRIBE: #MEMBERS/PARTICIPATNS

ANTICIPATED LENGTH OF PROJECT:

17. TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEF, ALL DATA IN THIS APPLICATION/PREAPPLICATION ARE TRUE AND CORRECT. THE
DOCUMENT HAS BEEN DULY AUTHORIZED BY THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE APPLICANT AND THE APPLICANT WILL COMPLY WITH THE
ATTACHED ASSURANCES IF THE ASSISTANCE IS AWARDED.
a. TYPED NAME OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE: b. TITLE: c. TELEPHONE NUMBER:

d. SIGNATURE OF AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE: DATE SIGNED:

Modified Standard Form 424- (Rev 11/02 to conform to the CNCS eGrants system)
OMB Control # 3045-0038 Expiration: 5/31/2011

12